Sewing machine attachment



Oct. 17, 1967 c w HENDRIX 3,347,189

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed May 10, 1965 2Sheets-$heet 1 BY Mm, cazzfimm m ATTORNEYS 1967 c w HENDRIX 3,347,189

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -r I Ed 5/ l T552112 INVENTOR 6' Wjzerzdr'zz' mm, M, 27%

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiiice 3,347,189 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 3,347,189 SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT C W Hendrix, RED. 2, Royston, Ga. 30662 Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,596 Claims. (Cl. 112-153) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device including a resiliently biased presser finger and stationary side guide for use in conjunction with the presser foot of a sewing machine for allowing stitching of uniform width to be sewn on a fabric workpiece. A remotely controlled trigger is provided for lifting the finger away from the bed of the machine to release the fabric; the actuating part of the trigger including a cam for cooperation with a portion of the presser finger. The spring biasing force is obtained through a torsion bar arrangement.

The present invention relates to sewing machine attachments and, more particularly, to a presser finger and guide assembly for holding and guiding fabrics past the sewing station of a sewing machine having a presser foot.

Devices for guiding fabric past the sewing station of a sewing machine are well known in the art. These devices usually consist of a straight edge mounted on the bed of the sewing machine parallel to the seam line (or stitching line) for engaging the raw edge of the fabric as it is pulled by the machine during the sewing operation. Certain of these prior art devices have suggested providing additional pressure means adjacent to the presser foot to aid in the guiding operation in an attempt to provide an attachment that will allow a seam to be sewed straight and uniformly. One of the simplest of these devices that I am aware of comprises spring-like sheet metal to engage the top surface of the fabric to hold the fabric down for guiding. Other attempts along these lines have resulted in structures including relatively complicated spring-biased levers that press against the fabric as it is guided along a straight edge in the region of the presser foot.

While these prior art devices have resulted in improving the sewing or stitching operations, much has been left to be desired in terms of providing a simple device adapted for efficient operation in obtaining the high quality work desired wherein the stitching line is made straight and uniform. For example, in the first mentioned of these devices, the sheet metal soon loses its springiness due to fatigue of the metal as a result of continued use and, accordingly, the performance of such a device is therefore hindered. Also, the spring metal is not rugged so that it is susceptible to being bent out of shape due to accidental bumps or jolts by the operator during use or by a mechanic during servicing. The other devices that are known to me, in addition to having certain of the shortcomings just mentioned, have been found to unduly hinder the work of the operator since they are usually relatively large and cumbersome so as to interfere with the proper manipulation of the cloth during the sewing operation. Further, these devices are likely to become jammed and thus rendered useless, since the operating parts are unprotected from their surroundings. Most importantly perhaps, these devices because of their complicated structure are relatively expensive to manufacture and rather difficult to service.

Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to overcome the difficulties presented above and to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described that is simple in design and eificient in operation.

Specifically, the apparatus of the present invention is made up of a body having an edge extending longitudinally of the apparatus for guiding the fabric past the sewing station, which is or may be defined by the usual presser foot and needle assembly. The body of the device mounts a presser finger in abutting relationship to the guide edge which engages the fabric to be guided and sewn and draws the same into juxtaposition or snug abutting relationship with the guide edge. According to the invention, the fabric-engaging surface of the presser finger is provided with suitable means to urge the fabric into this abutting relationship and because of the fact that the presser finger is fiush with the guide edge, the fabric is reliably and uniformly held in the proper guiding relationship without fear of overriding the guide edge. Further, according to the invention, the presser finger is conveniently operated by a trigger means which is also mounted on the body of the assembly.

According to an important aspect of the present invention, the presser finger and guide assembly is of a compact and efficient design with a low profile so that the use of the device does not hamper the sewing operation in any way and so that the device is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and repair. More specifically, the attachment comprises only four basic parts including a base plate, a cover plate, a presser finger and torsion spring assembly and a trigger for operating the presser finger. The parts can be easily assembled and disassembled by simply removing the cover plate from the base plate for convenient replacement or repair. More importantly, each of the operating parts of the device are simple in design and well protected from the work pieces and the dust and dirt that might be present so that the possibility of jamming the device is reduced to a minimum. Also, the device of the invention is so constructed as to be rugged enough so that bumps and jolts that might occur from time to time by outside forces will not affect its operation. Lastly, because of the simple construction that characterizes the combination presser finger and guide assembly of the present invention, it has been found to have an unusually long life without the loss of efficiency or the need for extensive repair.

The device of the present invention has been found to be particularly useful for aligning the welt of an inset pocket in trousers during the sewing operation to attach the pocket along the folded edge of the slash in the material that forms the entrance to such pocket. In this particular type of operation, the welt or facing, which in the finished product is merely a fold fastened to the edge of the pocket to guard or strengthen such pocket, is placed under the pressure finger of the assembly after it has been raised by the manually operated trigger. After the edge of the welt has been aligned with the edge and rearward end of the base plate of the assembly, the trigger is released whereupon the presser finger securely holds the welt and the attached pocket in the proper position to be sewn. At this point, the fabric forming the body of the trousers is placed under the presser foot of the sewing machine so that the folded edge of the pocket is sewn to the welt in the usual manner and to be described subsequently.

It has been found that the folded edge of the pocket hole can be conveniently formed by the operator with the usual presser foot of either the conventional type or the folder type and that the quality of the sewn pocket is of the highest since the operator of the machine is relieved of the duty of performing the guide operation on the pocket welt. That is, the operator merely guides the trouser to the presser foot of the machine while the welt is automatically made straight and uniform by the device of the invention. Thus, in this situation, all that is required by the operator is to properly present the edge of the slash in the trouser material to the folding presser foot whereby a continual realignment of the two pieces of cloth is unnecessary; thereby not only increasing the quality of the work but also reducing the time for a sewing operation and the strain on the operator.

While the device of the present invention is disclosed herein as being particularly adapted to the operation of welting inset pockets on trousers just outlined, it is clear that said device can be advantageously used to perform other welting operations, such as on inset pockets for coats, vests, or the like. Also, it will be shown in one embodiment that this device is also particularly useful for holding and guiding material during other stitching operations, such as the side seaming operation on a pair of trousers. In this case, the combination presser finger and guide assembly is divided into two distinct parts for mounting on the side seamer machine to accommodate the looper plate on such machine. In the seaming operation, one or both pieces of the fabric are placed under the presser finger and are thus uniformly guided past the sewing station of the machine so that a straight seam is obtained in every instance with only a minimum amount of skill and effort on the part of the operator, as before.

Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a combination presser finger and guide assembly that makes guiding of material past a sewing station of a sewing machine easier and more reliable than before.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination presser finger and guide assembly that is simple and compact in construction so as to provide an inexpensive and eflicient sewing machine attachment for presenting fabric to the presser foot.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described in which there are few moving parts and all of the parts are mounted within or closely adjacent to a body that presents a low profile device so that the operators manipulation of material will not be impaired and so that the parts will be protected from jamming and misalignment from jolts and bumps.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described that is easily mounted in an adjustable fashion .on any standard sewing machine and whose parts can be easily replaced or repaired.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a presser finger and guide assembly wherein the presser finger positions one piece of fabric in relation to the presser foot of the sewing machine while another piece of fabric is being positioned for stitching onto the first piece of fabric, and then said device acts as a guide while said other piece of material is properly sewn in place.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a presser finger and guide assembly for use as an inset pocket holder and guide in a sewing machine whereby the pocket facing or welt is held straighter and more reliably than has heretofore been possible so that the number of products that must be rejected for nonuniformity is reduced.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described that relieves the operator of the task of keeping the welt of the pocket in line with the slash for a pocket in trousers so that the edge of the slash can be folded over and sewed to the welt with ease.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a presser finger and guide assembly whereby the cloth to be sewn is positioned and guided past the sewing station in a uniform manner without the need for the operator to continually align the cloth with the needle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described that can be successfully operated for the purpose indicated by an operator who has had a minimum degree Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by me of carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its severaldetails are capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Referring now to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention mounted on the bed of a sewing machine where material representing a workpiece is placed to be sewn in accordance with a preferred use of said device;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the device of the present invention showing the various operating parts and their mounting;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines 7--7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the under side of the presser finger of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view looking toward the device of the present invention through the material to be sewn, as viewed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment or arrangement of the device of the present invention on a sewing machine adapted to perform a side seaming operation on trousers.

It will be remembered that the purpose of the sewing machine attachment of the present invention is to present the fabric to be sewn to the sewing station on a sewing machine. For this purpose, a combination presser finger and guide assembly, generally represented by the reference numeral 1 is mounted on a bed plate 2 of the sewing machine having a sewing station, generally represented by the reference numeral 3, all as best illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The sewing station 3 is or may be defined by a conventional presser foot 4 and a cooperating needle 5, which are operated in the usual manner toperform the stitching or seaming operation requiredr Still referring to FIG. 1 and also referring to FIGS. 12 and 3, the presser finger and guide assembly 1 in the preferred embodiment disclosed has a body 9 comprising a base plate 10 that extends the full length of said body 9 and forms the mounting plate of the device of the invention. The forward part of the base plate 10 has mounted thereon a cover plate 11 that in effectforms an upper extension of the base plate 10 and completes the structure of the body 9. On the rearward portion of the base plate 10 is provided an extended slot 12 for the purpose of mounting the assembly 1 on the bed plate 2 by suitable thumb bolts 13, 14 or the like that are adapted to engage the usual attachment mounting holes (not shown) of the machine.

The base plate 10 is provided with a longitudinally extending guide edge that serves the purpose of aligning the cloth to be sewn by engaging the edge thereof, as will be evident to those skilled in this art. For the purpose of providing adjustment between the guide edge 20 and the presser foot 4 and the needle 5 of the machine, the slot 12 extends along the width of the base plate 10. The length of the slot 12 is selected in accordance with the desired adjusting ability toward and away from the presser foot and needle 4, 5, which adjustment is performed by simply loosening the thumb screws 13, 14 whereupon the width of the seam or facing is easily adjusted.

Situated in juxtaposition and in substantial abutment With the guide edge 20' is a presser finger, generally represented by the reference numeral 21, for the purpose of engaging the fabric in line with the presser foot 4 to hold the same in position and present it in alignment for the stitching operation. As shown in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the presser foot 4 is situated adjacent the rearward portion of the guide edge 20 and just to the rear of or downstream of the presser finger 21 when any number of workpieces of cloth, generally represented by the reference numeral 22, are positioned for feeding and sewing in the direction illustrated by the solid arrows in FIG. 1. Rear edge 23 has been found to be particularly adapted for use as a gauge in positioning the workpiece 22 under the presser finger 21 in the longitudinal direction, as shown, and to insure that the stitching is begun at the proper place.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the presser finger 21 has a bent-up portion 25 at approximately the mid-point location of the guide edge 2%. Forwardly of this bent-up portion 25 is a guiding portion 26 that serves to guide the material being inserted under the presser finger 21 before the sewing operation begins. The forwardmost part of the guiding portion 26 constitutes an upwardly curved deflector 27 to insure that the cloth being inserted under the finger 21 is properly directed. The presser finger 21 terminates in a rearwardly extending sole 28 that performs the actual fabric-engaging function described.

The presser finger 21 has a lateral boss 25a and a forwardly extending lip 25b in the region of and preferably as an extension of the bent-up portion 25, as is apparent from observing FIGS. 1 and 2. Disposed beneath the extension 25a is an operating cam 30 that slidably engages the underneath surface of the boss 25a so as to pivot the presser finger 21 about its mounting bar 31 when manual pressure is applied to a handle 32 that is conveniently disposed along the forward end of the body 9, as best illustrated in FIG. 3. The handle 32 is operatively connected with the cam 30 by an elongated rod 33 that is bent to form substantially a 90 angle at its midpoint whereby one leg 33a of the bar 33 forms a lever and support for the handle 32 and another leg 33!) provides a pivot for the cam 30. Thus, in the operation to lift the finger 21 from the bed plate 2 of the machine, the handle 32 is depressed downwardly as shown in FIG. 3, preferably by the middle and fourth fingers of the operators right hand so that the leg 33b and the cam 30 are rotated in a clockwise direction (FIG. 3) thereby raising the sole 28 by pivotal movement of the presser finger 21 about the bar 31. When this has been done, it is clear that the fabric can then be positioned under the presser finger 21 or released therefrom in the desired manner.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated an exploded view of the device of the present invention for a better understanding of the construction and mounting of the operating parts of the device made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Thus, the operating cam 3i), the rod 33 with its legs 33a and 33b and the handle 32 form an integral operating part of the present invention that is generally indicated by the reference numeral 35 and hereinafter referred to as a trigger means. Forming the other operating part of the device of the present invention is the integral presser finger 21 and its supporting bar 31, the latter of which has an upwardly bent portion 36 adjacent its terminal end.

As can be seen in this figure, the base plate 10 is provided with a cut-out portion 37 extending inwardly from the guide edge 20 to accommodate the cam 30 and the co-acting extension 25a of the presser finger 21. A sloping wall 38 is so positioned that the cam 30 is normally displaced therefrom (see FIG. 3) but forms a convenient abutting surface for the cam 30 when the assembly 1 is removed from the bed plate 2 whereby the operating parts are retained in the desired relationship in readiness to be mounted for use.

Still referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the cover plate 11 is provided with an upper cut-out portion 49 that mates with the lower cut-out 37 of the base plate It); the cut-out 4!) being provided for the purpose of accommodating the forwardly extending lip 25b that serves to prevent cloth from entering the cut-out 37 and becoming snagged in the cam mechanism. A slot 41 is provided in the cover plate 11 to receive the upwardly extending portion 36 of the bar 31 for a purpose presently to be described. Any number of suitable fastening means, such as screws 42, are supplied to fasten the cover plate 11 to the base plate 10 through suitable formed countersunk apertures 43 and tapped holes 44.

The bar 31 and the leg 33b of the trigger 35 are journaled for rotation along the line of interconnection of the base plate 10 and the cover plate 11. For the purpose of jonrnaling the bar 31, there is provided a transversely extending groove 45 in the base plate It) and a mating groove 46 in the cover plate 11. Similarly, a groove 47 is provided across the base plate 10 and opening into the cut-out 37 for the purpose of accommodating the leg 33b in conjunction with a cooperating groove 48 in the cover plate 11 when said cover plate 11 is in place in the assembled condition. Accordingly, since the axes of both the rod 31 and the transversely extending leg 33b extend along the line of interconnection between the base and cover plate 10, 11 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) and since the upwardly extending portion 36 is accommodated in the aperture 41 of the cover plate 11 (see FIG. 6), disassembly of the device of the present invention can be quickly and easily accomplished by merely removing the screws 42 to allow the cover plate 11 to be withdrawn in such a manner as to expose the operating parts indicated.

The reason for supplying the bar 31 with the bent-up portion 36 is so that the former may be twisted in such a manner as to provide a torsion spring for urging the sole 28 of the finger 21 downwardly toward the bed 2 of the machine for holding the fabric. This is accomplished by having a longitudinally extending set screw 50 threadedly engaging the cover plate 11 and working against the upwardly extending portion 36 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. Thus, as the set screw 50 is screwed into the cover plate 11 the upwardly extending portion 36 is pivoted in the left-hand direction within the slot 41, as can be observed in FIG. 7, which action causes torsional stress to be built up in the bar 31 so as to tend to rotate the finger 21 in the counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. This gives the desired pressing function to the presser finger 21 to hold the fabric to be sewn in proper relation to the edge guide 20 and to uniformly present the same to the presser foot of the machine prior to and during the sewing operation.

Any number of suitable indicia, indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4 by the reference numerals 51, 52 are or may be provided to indicate to the operator of the device the amount of pressure being applied to the fabric under the presser finger 21 so that the proper feeding and guiding of the material can be accomplished. For example, if the upwardly extending portion 36 is adjacent the indicia 51, the

operator knows at a glance that the presser finger is exerting a lesser amount of pressing force on the fabric under the sole 28 of the presser finger 21 than if the indicating portion 36 is adjacent the indicia 52. Thus, to change the pressing force of the presser finger 21 on the fabric at any time, the operator merely moves the set screw the desired amount to accomplish the increase or decrease in pressure in accordance with this indicator.

Another distinct advantage of the adjustable torsion mechanism of the present invention is the fact that the proper compensation for fatigue of the spring that results from continued use can be easily effected by merely providing additional twist to the bar 31 by adjustment of the set screw 50.

Means are provided in accordance with the present invention to keep the workpiece 22 that is being sewn or stitched in snug relationship to the, guide edge 2% to aid in assuring that the line of stitching is performed straighter and more reliably than has been possible in the past. This means is illustrated in FIG. 8 in the form of a series of diagonal grooves for urging the cloth towards the guide edge 20 by interaction with the grain or twill of the cloth. This type of urging means has been found to be particularly adapted to the guiding operation of the present invention since the effect of the grooves 55 is easily overridden once the cloth is brought into exact alignment or abutment with the guide edge 20. Also, because of the.

fact that the finger 21 and especially the sole 28 of said fin er 21 is in juxtaposition with the guide edge 20 to the extent that there is substantially no gap between said finger 21 and said guide edge 20, there is no fear of overriding said guide edge 20 by the cloth. If during the sewing operation, the twill of the cloth changes or for some other reason, the cloth is disturbed then the grooves 55 are immediately effective to realign the cloth. for the continued sewing operation.

As shown, the placement of grooves 55 at an angle of about.45 with respect to the line of travel of the workpiece 22 is preferred and this arrangement has been found to be effective on all types of cloth regardless of the cut or the direction in which the grain of the cloth extends. However, it is contemplated that lesser, angles as well as a lesser number of grooves 55 can be effectively used to urge the material into alignment with the guide edge 20 in the desired manner.

As shown in FIG. 8, the torsion bar 31 is suitably welded or brazed to the undersideof the raised guiding portion 26 of the presser finger 21 although it is to be understood that this portion of the device can be fabricated in other ways without departing from the spirit of this vinvention. However, in any case, it has been found to be advantageous to keep the forward portion 26 of the presser finger 21 sufficiently spaced from the bed 2 to allow the several thicknesses of the workpiece 22 to be easily inserted under the pressure finger 21 and, therefore, the presser finger 21 is mounted above the torsion bar 31 in the preferred embodimentillustrated to provide for the additional spacing while retaining the desired low profile of the overall assembly 1.

To illustrate the operation of the device of the present invention in a specific instance where stitching is performed, reference is now made to FIGURES 1 and 9 wherein the workpiece 22 may comprise an inset pocket 60 with a folded-over upper edge 61 that forms the welt or facing of the pocket and a trouser piece 62, which is to be attached to the inset pocket 60 along a folded edge 63 of a slash 64 that forms the entrance to the pocket. In operation, the handle 32 is first depressed by the operator so that the double thickness of the welt 61 can be inserted under the presser finger 21. for positioning as shown. During this inserting operation, the pocket 60 may be manipulated from in front of the assembly 1 toward the presser foot 4 into alignment with the gauge edge 23 so as to take full advantage of the guiding properties of the guiding portion 8 26 and the deflector 27 of the presser finger 21. There after, the trouser piece 62 is folded over and positioned so as to present the folded edge 63 of the slash 64 under the presser foot 4 and in alignment with the sewing needle 5. The edge of the slash 64 is folded over by the conventional presser foot 4 to form the folded edge 63 during the sewing operation as the composite workpiece 22 is fed along by the machine.

When the sewing operation has been completed, the presser foot 4 israised in the usual manner and the completed workpiece 22 is removed from under the presser foot 21 and from the machine. Because of the fact that the diagonal grooves 55 have retained the welt 61 snugly in engagement with the guide edge 20, the width w (FIG, 1) which represents the welt or facing of the pocket is uniform along the entire length of the pocket. This uniformness of width represents a high quality of craftsmanship desired as a direct result of the use of the device of the present invention and is obtained automatically with a minimum amount of effort on the part of the operator.

In FIG. 10 wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements as above, there is shown an embodiment of the device of the present invention that is particularly adapted for use in a side-seaming operation for a pair of trousers 65 turned wrong side out and having a seam line 66. The trousers 65 are guided in this case by abutment of raw edges 67 with the guide edge 20 in a manner that should now be evident. In this embodiment, a rearward portion 10a of the base plate 10is separated from the remainder of the body 9 and is mounted by the thumb screws 13, 14 to looper plate 68 underneath of which is housed the usual looper mechanism of a side searner sewing machine. The body 9 of the presser finger guide assembly is mounted by additional thumb screws 13a, 14a to the bed 2 of the machine so that it co-operates with the rearward portion 19a to perform the same guiding function as the embodiment of FIG. 1. As before, the distance w from the seam line 66 to the rough edge 67 is uniform and straight so as to provide a high quality pair of trousers. When the looper mechanism of the machine must be exposed to be reset, the looper plate 68 andthe attached rearward portion can be removed without disturb-.

ing the presser finger 21.

Thus, it can be seen that a versatile sewing machine attachment is provided whereby any type of seaming or stitching operation can be performed in an advantageous manner so that a straight seam is obtained with aminimum amount of skill and effort. Furthermore, because of the novel construction of the device certain results and advantages are obtained that enable the type of sewing or stitching operation described to be properly performed for the first time without the necessity of having to continually realign the cloth with the needle. As explained above, this allows the production of high quality finished products in an efiicient and economical operation.

According to other important aspects of the invention, the shape and form of the presser finger 21 is such that the cloth is easily inserted under said presser finger 21 for the stitching operation, and, at the same time, the profile of the assembly 1 is kept low so as not to interfere with the manipulation of the cloth by the operator. Also, the parts of the device are designed for simplicity and low cost as well as for easy adjustability and disassembly; and the operating parts are desirably protected so as to be free from outside influences that might tend to jam the device.

In this disclosure, there is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, but, as-aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of various changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed by the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination presser finger and guide assembly for presenting fabric to a sewing station on a sewing machine having a presser foot comprising a body adapted to be mounted on the bed of said sewing machine adjacent said presser foot, said body having an edge extending longitudinally of said assembly for guiding said fabric past said station, a longitudinally extending presser finger mounted on said body juxtaposed to said edge, said presser finger having a surface for engaging fabric aligned with said presser foot, a spring for biasing said finger toward said bed to secure said fabric between said surface and said bed, means on said surface for urging said fabric toward said edge and trigger means pivotally mounted on said body for movement about a horizontal axis for lifting said finger away from said bed against the force of said spring whereby said fabric may be released at will, said trigger means including a lever and a handle portion positioned on the end of said lever and remote from said presser finger for operating the same.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said urging means comprises a series of diagonal grooves formed in the fabric-engaging surface of said finger whereby the engagement of the grooved surface with the fabric causes said fabric to be continuously urged toward said edge.

3. A combination presser finger and guide assembly for presenting fabric to a sewing station on a sewing machine having a presser foot comprising a body adapted to be mounted on the bed of said sewing machine adjacent said presser foot, said body having an edge extending longitudinally of said assembly for guiding said fabric past said station, a longitudinally extending presser finger mounted on said body juxtaposed to said edge, said presser finger having a surface for engaging fabric aligned with said presser foot, a spring for biasing said finger toward said bed to secure said fabric between said surface and said bed, said spring comprising a bar, said presser finger being fixedly attached to said bar adjacent one end of said bar, said bar being journaled transversely through said body for pivotally mounting said presser finger, and means to twist the other end of said bar whereby said bar acts as a torsion spring, means on said surface for urging said fabric toward said edge, said urging means comprising a series of diagonal grooves formed in the fabric-engaging surface of said finger whereby the engagement of the grooved surface with the upper surface of the fabric causes said fabric to be continuously urged toward said edge, and trigger means mounted on said body for engaging and lifting said finger away from said bed against the force of said spring whereby said fabric may be released at will, said trigger means comprising a rod journaled for rotation and extending transversely through said body, a cam on one end of said rod slidably engaging said finger and a lever on the other end of said rod adapted for manual engagement.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said body comprises interconneeted base and cover plates, said rod and said bar being journaled in apertures formed along the line of interconnection between said plates, whereby removal of said cover plate effects disassembly.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said twist means comprises an upwardly bent portion of said bar at said other end, said cover plate being provided with an aperture to accommodate said other end and a screw threadably mounted in said cover plate in the longitudinal direction for adjustably engaging said upwardly bent portion.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said presser finger comprises a forward, intermediate and rearward portion taken along the line of travel of said fabric, said fabric-engaging surface being located along said rearward portion, said bar being connected to said forward portion, and said intermediate portion extending upwardly from said rearward portion to said forward portion whereby in operation said forward portion is displaced from said bed for ease of inserting said fabric under said presser finger.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said presser finger further comprises a transversely extending boss along said intermediate portion and wherein is provided a cut-out in said base plate extending inwardly from said guide edge for receiving said boss, said cam being located in said cut-out for engagement with said boss to operate said finger.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said presser finger terminates short of said body to accommodate said presser foot adjacent said guide edge, the end of said guide edge of said body serving as a gauge for the leading edge of said fabric to facilitate longitudinal positioning of said cloth under said presser foot and said presser finger.

9. A combination presser finger and guide assembly for presenting fabric to a sewing station on a sewing machine having a presser foot comprising a body adapted to be mounted on the bed of said sewing machine adjacent said presser foot, said body having an edge extending longitudinally of said assembly for guiding said fabric past said station, a longitudinally extending presser finger mounted on said body juxtaposed to said edge, said presser finger having a surface for engaging fabric aligned with said presser foot, a spring for biasing said finger toward said bed to secure said fabric between said surface and said bed, means on said surface for urging said fabric toward said edge and trigger means mounted on said body for lifting said finger away from said bed against the force of said spring whereby said fabric may be released at will, said spring comprising a bar, said presser finger being fixedly attached to said bar adjacent one end of said bar, said bar being journaled transversely through said body for pivotally mounting said presser finger, and means to twist the other end of said bar whereby said bar acts as a torsion spring.

10. A combination presser finger and guide assembly for presenting fabric to a sewing station on a sewing machine having a presser foot comprising a body adapted to be mounted on the bed of said sewing machine adjacent said presser foot, said body having an edge extending longitudinally of said assembly for guiding said fabric past said station, a longitudinally extending presser finger mounted on said body juxtaposed to said edge, said presser finger having a surface for engaging fabric aligned with said presser foot, a spring for biasing said finger toward said bed to secure said fabric between said surface and said bed, means on said surface for urging said fabric toward said edge and trigger means mounted on said body for lifting said finger away from said bed against the force of said spring whereby said fabric may be released at will, said trigger means comprising a rod journaled for rotation and extending transversely through said body, a cam on one end of said rod slidably engaging said finger and a lever on the other end of said rod adapted for manual engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 38,705 5/1863 Wagener 11215O 93,010 7/1869 Rogers 112136 507,119 10/1893 Greene 11215Z 1,279,177 9/1918 Thomas 112136 1,346,988, 7/1920 Stein 112136 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMBINATION PRESSER FINGER AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY FOR PRESENTING FABRIC TO A SEWING STATION ON A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A PRESSER FOOT COMPRISING A BODY ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE BED OF SAID SEWING MACHINE ADJACENT SAID PRESSER FOOT, SAID BODY HAVING AN EDGE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ASSEMBLY FOR GUIDING SAID FABRIC PAST SAID STATION, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PRESSER FINGER MOUNTED ON SAID BODY JUXTAPOSED TO SAID EDGE, SAID PRESSER FINGER HAVING A SURFACE FOR ENGAGING FABRIC ALIGNED WITH SAID PRESSER FOOT, A SPRING FOR BIASING SAID FINGER TOWARD SAID BED TO SECURE SAID FABRIC BETWEEN SAID SURFACE AND SAID BED, MEANS ON SAID SURFACE FOR URGING SAID FABRIC TOWARD SAID EDGE AND TRIGGER MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS FOR LIFTING SAID FINGER AWAY FROM SAID BED AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING WHEREBY SAID FABRIC MAY BE RELEASED AT WILL, SAID TRIGGER MEANS INCLUDING A LEVER AND A HANDLE PORTION POSITIONED ON THE END OF SAID LEVER AND REMOTE FROM SAID PRESSER FINGER FOR OPERATING THE SAME. 